by Alan Partridge »
16 Mar 2009 13:03
boy1985 Alan Partridge all i'd say is you are on the wrong board my friend.
It's a fans message board and the topic is Reading Football Club and this particular forum is the Team. So I would expect posts to be made about the team and manager. Some will be shite, some will be hmm some may even be good, but that's what this forum is all about. Having an opinion, no matter how daft it is.
Hairy muff, point taken. Although my opinion is that we'd not have won any the recent games no matter what 11 started. We must have used near 20 players in the last few weeks and none of them have performed. No matter what anyone says our best team isn't obvious! Instead of moaning because Coppell hasn't picked the team exactly how you wanted people could try supporting whoever he picks and not get on the backs the minute they make a mistake.
And for people who think fans don't make a difference, why is being at home considered an advantage? Its still a football pitch with a white ball just like the any other pitch, its having 3 quarters of the stadium behind you that changes it. Again I'm not saying the recent performances are down to the fans, because to be honest the atmosphere has been the same most of this season. But at times like this is when the fans can make a difference, and as hard as it is we have gotta get behind them.
What I would say is when the problem was winning away Coppell tried not to mention that it was a problem, just said they prepared the same for every game. Now while I don't doubt the preparation is the same he keeps coming out with things like 'we aren't forceful at home' and 'maybe it's best suited we play away' 'if we concede at home then we struggle' things like this, if you tell people this enough times it can become real. As you say it's the same size pitch, same size goals, same ball why does it make a difference? Mentality. If these players are hearing this then they may well lift their game away from home, 'ahh we're away this week, no pressure' whereas at home they may be thinking oh here we go again.
They should want to play at home, Coppell should want all our remaining games to be at home and while i do agree with you that fans at times can play a part. Especially if things aren't going to well I do think the words from the main man aren't the most inspiring or maybe not the right things to say right now. They have to be stronger and have to have the belief that they are going to win at home, which clearly isn't there at the minute.
As for team selection well your guess is as good as mine, i don't know what our best team is, I don't think Coppell does. I think there are other options he could try but I don't think they would make the mass of difference that others think. An example of this was that someone other than Lita should play, we scored and it was suddenly because he didn't play, I don't think it made a great deal of difference,highlighted by our last two games at home. They are all much of a muchness in our squad. We could play Karacan but is he any better than Harper or Cisse? Maybe, maybe not. Is Noel Hunt that much better than Long, Lita or Kitson? Maybe, Maybe not. There's very little between any of them. That's what makes it hard for Coppell to pick a 'best XI'.